Leuco polymers as bluing agents in laundry care compositions

Abstract

A laundry care composition including (i) from 2 to 70 wt % of a surfactant; and (ii) from 0.0001 to 20.0 wt % of a leuco polymer that includes a polyethylenimine and at least one leuco moiety covalently bound to the polyethylenimine. The polyethylenimine comprises three or more amine nitrogen atoms and 1 mol. % or more of amine hydrogen atoms in the polyethylenimine are replaced with a moiety selected from the group consisting of 2-hydroxypropyl, 1-hydroxypropane-2-yl, and polyalkoxy groups. Methods of making the leuco polymer and methods of treating textiles with such laundry care compositions.

We claim: 
     
       1. A laundry care composition comprising:
 (i) from 2 to 70 wt % of a surfactant; and 
 (ii) from 0.0001 to 20.0 wt % of a leuco polymer comprising a polyethylenimine and at least one leuco moiety covalently bound to the polyethylenimine, wherein the polyethylenimine comprises three or more amine nitrogen atoms and 1 mol. % or more of amine hydrogen atoms in the polyethylenimine are replaced with a moiety selected from the group consisting of 2-hydroxypropyl, 1-hydroxypropane-2-yl, and polyalkoxy groups, wherein about 57 mol. % to about 80 mol. % of amine hydrogen atoms in the polyethylenimine are replaced with 2-hydroxypropyl groups. 
 
     
     
       2. A laundry care composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the polyethylenimine comprises about 6 to about 1,000,000 amine nitrogen atoms. 
     
     
       3. A laundry care composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the polyethylenimine comprises about 15 to about 45 amine nitrogen atoms. 
     
     
       4. A laundry care composition according to  claim 1 , wherein about 3 mol. % to about 15 mol. % of amine hydrogen atoms in the polyethylenimine are replaced with polyalkoxy groups. 
     
     
       5. A laundry care composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the polyalkoxy group comprises alkoxy groups selected from the group consisting of ethoxy and propoxy. 
     
     
       6. A laundry care composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the polyalkoxy group comprises 3 or more repeating alkoxy groups. 
     
     
       7. A laundry care composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the polyalkoxy group comprises 3 to about 50 repeating alkoxy groups. 
     
     
       8. A laundry care composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the leuco moiety is selected from the group consisting of diarylmethane leuco moieties, triarylmethane leuco moieties, oxazine moieties, thiazine moieties, hydroquinone moieties, and arylaminophenol moieties. 
     
     
       9. A laundry care composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the leuco moiety is a univalent or polyvalent moiety derived by removal of one or more hydrogen atoms from a structure of Formula (I), (II), (III), (IV), or (V) . . . 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
         wherein the ratio of Formula I-V to its oxidized form is at least 1:3; wherein each individual R o , R m  and R p  group on each of rings A, B and C is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium and R 5 ; wherein each R 5  is independently selected from the group consisting of halogens, nitro, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, alkaryl, substituted alkaryl, —C(O)R 1 , —C(O)OR 1 , —C(O)O − , —C(O)NR 1 R 2 , —OC(O)R 1 , —OC(O)OR 1 , —OC(O)NR 1 R 2 , —S(O) 2 R 1 , —S(O) 2 OR 1 , —S(O) 2 O − , —S(O) 2 NR 1 R 2 , —NR 1 C(O)R 2 , —NR 1 C(O)OR 2 , —NR 1 C(O)SR 2 , —NR 1 C(O)NR 2 R 3 , —OR 1 , —NR 1 R 2 , —P(O) 2 R 1 , —P(O)(OR 1 ) 2 , —P(O)(OR 1 )O − , and —P(O)(O − ) 2 ; wherein at least one of the R o  and R m  groups on at least one of the three rings A, B or C is hydrogen; each R p  is independently selected from hydrogen, —OR 1  and —NR 1 R 2 ; 
         wherein G is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, C 1 -C 16  alkoxide, phenoxide, bisphenoxide, nitrite, nitrile, alkyl amine, imidazole, arylamine, polyalkylene oxide, halides, alkylsulfide, aryl sulfide, and phosphine oxide; 
         wherein R 1 , R 2  and R 3  are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, alkaryl, substituted alkaryl, and R 4 ; R 4  is a organic group composed of one or more organic monomers with said monomer molecular weights ranging from 28 to 500; 
         wherein e and f are independently integers from 0 to 4; 
         wherein each R 20  and R 21  is independently selected from the group consisting of a halogen, a nitro group, alkyl groups, substituted alkyl groups, —NC(O)OR 1 , —NC(O)SR 1 , —OR 1 , and —NR 1 R 2 ; 
         wherein each R 25  is independently selected from the group consisting of a monosaccharide moiety, a disaccharide moiety, an oligosaccharide moiety, a polysaccharide moiety, —C(O)R 1 , —C(O)OR 1 , —C(O)NR 1 R 2 ; 
         wherein each R 22  and R 23  is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, an alkyl group, and substituted alkyl groups; 
         wherein R 30  is positioned ortho or para to the bridging amine moiety and is selected from the group consisting of —OR 38  and —NR 36 R 37 , wherein each R 36  and R 37  is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, an alkyl group, a substituted alkyl group, an aryl group, a substituted aryl group, an acyl group, R 4 , —C(O)OR 1 , —C(O)R 1 , and —C(O)NR 1 R 2 ; 
         wherein R 38  is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, an acyl group, —C(O)OR 1 , —C(O)R 1 , and —C(O)NR 1 R 2 ; 
         wherein g and h are independently integers from 0 to 4; 
         wherein each R 31  and R 32  is independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl group, a substituted alkyl group, an aryl group, a substituted aryl group, an alkaryl, substituted alkaryl, —C(O)R 1 , —C(O)OR 1 , —C(O)O − , —C(O)NR 1 R 2 , —OC(O)R 1 , —OC(O)OR 1 , —OC(O)NR 1 R 2 , —S(O) 2 R 1 , —S(O) 2 OR 1 , —S(O) 2 O − , —S(O) 2 NR 1 R 2 , —NR 1 C(O)R 2 , —NR 1 C(O)OR 2 , —NR 1 C(O)SR 2 , —NR 1 C(O)NR 2 R 3 , —OR 1 , —NR 1 R 2 , —P(O) 2 R 1 , —P(O)(OR 1 ) 2 , —P(O)(OR 1 )O − , and —P(O)(O − ) 2 ; 
         wherein —NR 34 R 35  is positioned ortho or para to the bridging amine moiety and R 34  and R 35  are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, an alkyl, a substituted alkyl, an aryl, a substituted aryl, an alkaryl, a substituted alkaryl, and R 4 ; 
         wherein R 33  is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, —S(O) 2 R 1 , —C(O)N(H)R 1 ; —C(O)OR 1 ; and —C(O)R 1 ; wherein when g is 2 to 4, any two adjacent R 31  groups may combine to form a fused ring of five or more members wherein no more than two of the atoms in the fused ring may be nitrogen atoms; 
         wherein X 40  is selected from the group consisting of an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, and NR 45 ; wherein R 45  is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, deuterium, an alkyl, a substituted alkyl, an aryl, a substituted aryl, an alkaryl, a substituted alkaryl, —S(O) 2 OH, —S(O) 2 O − , —C(O)OR 1 , —C(O)R 1 , and —C(O)NR 1 R 2 ; 
         wherein R 40  and R 41  are independently selected from the group consisting of —OR 1  and —NR 1 R 2 ; 
         wherein j and k are independently integers from 0 to 3; 
         wherein R 42  and R 43  are independently selected from the group consisting of an alkyl, a substituted alkyl, an aryl, a substituted aryl, an alkaryl, a substituted alkaryl, —S(O) 2 R 1 , —C(O)NR 1 R 2 , —NC(O)OR 1 , —NC(O)SR 1 , —C(O)OR 1 , —C(O)R 1 , —OR 1 , —NR 1 R 2 ; 
         wherein R 44  is —C(O)R 1 , —C(O)NR 1 R 2 , and —C(O)OR 1 ; 
         wherein any charge present in any of the compounds is balanced with a suitable independently selected internal or external counterion. 
       
     
     
       10. A laundry care composition of  claim 9 , wherein the leuco composition comprises at least one compound of Formula (I). 
     
     
       11. A laundry care composition of  claim 10 , wherein two Ro groups on different A, B and C rings combine to form a fused ring of five or more members. 
     
     
       12. A laundry care composition of  claim 11 , wherein the fused ring is six or more members and two Ro groups on different A, B and C rings combine to form an organic linker containing one or more heteroatoms. 
     
     
       13. A laundry care composition of  claim 10 , wherein either an Ro and Rm on the same ring or an Rm and Rp on the same ring combine to form a fused aliphatic ring or fused aromatic ring. 
     
     
       14. A laundry care composition of  claim 10 , wherein all four of the Ro and Rm groups on at least one of the three rings A, B or C are hydrogen. 
     
     
       15. A laundry care composition of  claim 10 , wherein all of the Ro and Rm groups on all three rings A, B or C are hydrogen. 
     
     
       16. A laundry care composition of  claim 10 , wherein all three Rp are —NR1R2. 
     
     
       17. A laundry care composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the leuco polymer further comprises a chromophore moiety covalently bound to the polyethylenimine, wherein the chromophore moiety is selected from the group consisting of diarylmethane moieties, triarylmethane moieties, oxazine moieties, thiazine moieties, anthraquinone moieties, and indoaniline moieties. 
     
     
       18. A laundry treatment composition of  claim 1  further comprising an antioxidant. 
     
     
       19. A method of treating a textile, the method comprising the steps of:
 (i) treating a textile with an aqueous solution of the leuco polymer as defined in  claim 1 , the aqueous solution comprising from 100 ppb to 5000 ppm, of the leuco polymer; and, the surfactant; 
 (ii) optionally rinsing; and 
 (iii) drying the textile.